Austrian director Michael Haneke has beaten dozens of competitors to win one of Spain’s most prestigious arts awards. The Amour director was presented with the Prince of Asturias accolade in Madrid on Thursday. He was chosen above 32 contenders to take the $62,000 prize. A statement from the Asturias Foundation reads, “His penetrating, radical gaze on society has allowed him to explore uncharted terrain to become one of the leading auteurs of contemporary European cinema.” The honor comes after a stellar awards season for Haneke – Amour, about a couple coming to terms with old age, won a raft of prizes earlier this year, including the Best Foreign Film Oscar.